Death on Passover

by Gerald Brown, EdD

 

Exodus 12:6-8


3 Announce to the whole Israelite congregation, that on the tenth of this month each man shall secure a lamb for his paternal family, one lamb for each home.

4 If the household is too small for a lamb, then let him and his next door neighbor go partners, sharing the expense of the lamb according to the amount respectively eaten.

5 Your lamb should be a perfect, male yearling, taken from the sheep or from the goats.

6 Confine it until the fourteenth day of the same month when at twilight the whole Israelite congregation shall do the killing.

7 Some of the blood they must apply to the two doorposts and to the lintel of the house in which they eat it.

8 That night they shall eat the meat, fire roasted, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs.

Numbers 28:16-18

16 The Lord’s Passover is on the fourteenth day of the first month.

17 Therefore on the fifteenth of this month there shall be a feast, lasting for seven days, at which unleavened bread shall be eaten.

18 You are to refrain from any strenuous labor on the first day, for it has been set aside for a sacred meeting.

Desire of Ages

In the upper chamber of a dwelling at Jerusalem, Christ was sitting at the table with His disciples. They had gathered to celebrate the Passover. The Saviour desired to keep this feast alone with the twelve. He knew that His hour was come; He Himself was the true paschal lamb, and on the day the Passover was eaten He was to be sacrificed. He was about to drink the cup of wrath; He must soon receive the final baptism of suffering. But a few quiet hours yet remained to Him, and these were to be spent for the benefit of His beloved disciples. {DA 642.1}

That was a never-to-be-forgotten Sabbath to the sorrowing disciples and also to the priests, rulers, scribes, and people. At the setting of the sun on the evening of the preparation day the trumpets sounded, signifying that the Sabbath had begun. The Passover was observed as it had been for centuries, while He to whom it pointed had been slain by wicked hands, and lay in Joseph’s tomb. On the Sabbath the courts of the temple were filled with worshipers. {DA 774.2}
The Paschal lamb was killed on the fourteenth day of Abib and the body of the lamb was to be roasted beginning on that same day in preparation for the Passover meal that begins after sunset on the fifteenth day of the month. The fifteenth day of Abib is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and it is also the first Sabbath of the Feast. But the lamb is sacrificed and its body roasted on the day before the meal is eaten––the preparation day. According to the statement by Ellen White on page 642, Jesus was sacrificed on the Sabbath, not the preparation day for the Sabbath. Had she studied the Lord’s plan for worship as outlined in Leviticus 23 and elsewhere, and had she understood the sequence of events of the Passover as practiced by His people, the Jews, I’m certain she never would have written the statement as she did. I have every confidence that if this error had been pointed out to her, she would have immediately corrected it. But because this statement stands in such stark opposition to the words of scripture and the Jewish practice of Passover, I can positively conclude that this statement was not inspired by the Holy Spirit.
There are at least two major problems with her statement. Even if we say, for the sake of argument, that she considered the day to begin and end at midnight as is specified in the Catholic Code of Cannon Law and is customary in Western society, her statement is still in error as the celebration of the Passover meal ordinarily begins around 8 or 9 o’clock in the evening and, with all the festivities associated with the meal, usually lasts until 1 or 2 in the morning. The portion of the meal eaten after midnight would not be on the same day Jesus was crucified even by Catholic or secular reckoning of a day.
A second problem is that if the Holy Spirit is inspiring Ellen White to write this passage, why would He inspire her to write in harmony with the secular method of counting days rather than the biblical method of counting days. Does the Holy Spirit ever encourage His messengers to violate the instructions He has already given his people? If so, what examples do we have in support of this? If not, how can we say that Ellen White’s statement is inspired by the Holy Spirit when her statement does not follow the instructions of God regarding the counting of days?
Despite all this, she did get it right on page 774. Was she inspired by the Holy Spirit in one passage and not inspired in another passage –– the one with the provable mistake? The only way she could write something so completely contrary to scripture and virtually no one in the Adventist community notice it is because those who read her writings are reading them with the bias that everything written under her pen was inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that they refrain from questioning it. The leading of the Holy Spirit will invigorate our minds, not turn them off. Every detail should be questioned and either confirmed as true to the facts of scripture and history, or contrary to the facts of scripture and history. Her statement on page 642 is contrary to both scripture and her later explanation on page 774. Does the Holy Spirit give partial inspiration so that a statement made in agreement with scripture in one passage is deemed inspired, but the statement made contrary to scripture in another passage is not inspired? Is it appropriate to claim that Ellen White as a person was inspired when some of her printed statements stand in stark contrast to the words of scripture?

 

Desire of Ages


In the upper chamber of a dwelling at Jerusalem, Christ was sitting at the table with His disciples. They had gathered to celebrate the Passover. The Saviour desired to keep this feast alone with the twelve. He knew that His hour was come; He Himself was the true paschal lamb, and on the day the Passover was eaten He was to be sacrificed. He was about to drink the cup of wrath; He must soon receive the final baptism of suffering. But a few quiet hours yet remained to Him, and these were to be spent for the benefit of His beloved disciples. {DA 642.1}

That was a never-to-be-forgotten Sabbath to the sorrowing disciples and also to the priests, rulers, scribes, and people. At the setting of the sun on the evening of the preparation day the trumpets sounded, signifying that the Sabbath had begun. The Passover was observed as it had been for centuries, while He to whom it pointed had been slain by wicked hands, and lay in Joseph’s tomb. On the Sabbath the courts of the temple were filled with worshipers. {DA 774.2}
The Paschal lamb was killed on the fourteenth day of Abib and the body of the lamb was to be roasted beginning on that same day in preparation for the Passover meal that begins after sunset on the fifteenth day of the month. The fifteenth day of Abib is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and it is also the first Sabbath of the Feast. But the lamb is sacrificed and its body roasted on the day before the meal is eaten––the preparation day. According to the statement by Ellen White on page 642, Jesus was sacrificed on the Sabbath, not the preparation day for the Sabbath. Had she studied the Lord’s plan for worship as outlined in Leviticus 23 and elsewhere, and had she understood the sequence of events of the Passover as practiced by His people, the Jews, I’m certain she never would have written the statement as she did. I have every confidence that if this error had been pointed out to her, she would have immediately corrected it. But because this statement stands in such stark opposition to the words of scripture and the Jewish practice of Passover, I can positively conclude that this statement was not inspired by the Holy Spirit.
There are at least two major problems with her statement. Even if we say, for the sake of argument, that she considered the day to begin and end at midnight as is specified in the Catholic Code of Cannon Law and is customary in Western society, her statement is still in error as the celebration of the Passover meal ordinarily begins around 8 or 9 o’clock in the evening and, with all the festivities associated with the meal, usually lasts until 1 or 2 in the morning. The portion of the meal eaten after midnight would not be on the same day Jesus was crucified even by Catholic or secular reckoning of a day.
A second problem is that if the Holy Spirit is inspiring Ellen White to write this passage, why would He inspire her to write in harmony with the secular method of counting days rather than the biblical method of counting days. Does the Holy Spirit ever encourage His messengers to violate the instructions He has already given his people? If so, what examples do we have in support of this? If not, how can we say that Ellen White’s statement is inspired by the Holy Spirit when her statement does not follow the instructions of God regarding the counting of days?
Despite all this, she did get it right on page 774. Was she inspired by the Holy Spirit in one passage and not inspired in another passage –– the one with the provable mistake? The only way she could write something so completely contrary to scripture and virtually no one in the Adventist community notice it is because those who read her writings are reading them with the bias that everything written under her pen was inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that they refrain from questioning it. The leading of the Holy Spirit will invigorate our minds, not turn them off. Every detail should be questioned and either confirmed as true to the facts of scripture and history, or contrary to the facts of scripture and history. Her statement on page 642 is contrary to both scripture and her later explanation on page 774. Does the Holy Spirit give partial inspiration so that a statement made in agreement with scripture in one passage is deemed inspired, but the statement made contrary to scripture in another passage is not inspired? Is it appropriate to claim that Ellen White as a person was inspired when some of her printed statements stand in stark contrast to the words of scripture?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Desire of Ages
In the upper chamber of a dwelling at Jerusalem, Christ was sitting at the table with His disciples. They had gathered to celebrate the Passover. The Saviour desired to keep this feast alone with the twelve. He knew that His hour was come; He Himself was the true paschal lamb, and on the day the Passover was eaten He was to be sacrificed. He was about to drink the cup of wrath; He must soon receive the final baptism of suffering. But a few quiet hours yet remained to Him, and these were to be spent for the benefit of His beloved disciples. {DA 642.1}

That was a never-to-be-forgotten Sabbath to the sorrowing disciples and also to the priests, rulers, scribes, and people. At the setting of the sun on the evening of the preparation day the trumpets sounded, signifying that the Sabbath had begun. The Passover was observed as it had been for centuries, while He to whom it pointed had been slain by wicked hands, and lay in Joseph’s tomb. On the Sabbath the courts of the temple were filled with worshipers. {DA 774.2}
The Paschal lamb was killed on the fourteenth day of Abib and the body of the lamb was to be roasted beginning on that same day in preparation for the Passover meal that begins after sunset on the fifteenth day of the month. The fifteenth day of Abib is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and it is also the first Sabbath of the Feast. But the lamb is sacrificed and its body roasted on the day before the meal is eaten––the preparation day. According to the statement by Ellen White on page 642, Jesus was sacrificed on the Sabbath, not the preparation day for the Sabbath. Had she studied the Lord’s plan for worship as outlined in Leviticus 23 and elsewhere, and had she understood the sequence of events of the Passover as practiced by His people, the Jews, I’m certain she never would have written the statement as she did. I have every confidence that if this error had been pointed out to her, she would have immediately corrected it. But because this statement stands in such stark opposition to the words of scripture and the Jewish practice of Passover, I can positively conclude that this statement was not inspired by the Holy Spirit.
There are at least two major problems with her statement. Even if we say, for the sake of argument, that she considered the day to begin and end at midnight as is specified in the Catholic Code of Cannon Law and is customary in Western society, her statement is still in error as the celebration of the Passover meal ordinarily begins around 8 or 9 o’clock in the evening and, with all the festivities associated with the meal, usually lasts until 1 or 2 in the morning. The portion of the meal eaten after midnight would not be on the same day Jesus was crucified even by Catholic or secular reckoning of a day.
A second problem is that if the Holy Spirit is inspiring Ellen White to write this passage, why would He inspire her to write in harmony with the secular method of counting days rather than the biblical method of counting days. Does the Holy Spirit ever encourage His messengers to violate the instructions He has already given his people? If so, what examples do we have in support of this? If not, how can we say that Ellen White’s statement is inspired by the Holy Spirit when her statement does not follow the instructions of God regarding the counting of days?
Despite all this, she did get it right on page 774. Was she inspired by the Holy Spirit in one passage and not inspired in another passage –– the one with the provable mistake? The only way she could write something so completely contrary to scripture and virtually no one in the Adventist community notice it is because those who read her writings are reading them with the bias that everything written under her pen was inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that they refrain from questioning it. The leading of the Holy Spirit will invigorate our minds, not turn them off. Every detail should be questioned and either confirmed as true to the facts of scripture and history, or contrary to the facts of scripture and history. Her statement on page 642 is contrary to both scripture and her later explanation on page 774. Does the Holy Spirit give partial inspiration so that a statement made in agreement with scripture in one passage is deemed inspired, but the statement made contrary to scripture in another passage is not inspired? Is it appropriate to claim that Ellen White as a person was inspired when some of her printed statements stand in stark contrast to the words of scripture?